Phonograph illuminating appliance.



M. H. GABA. PH ONOGRAPH ILLUMINATING APPLIANCE.

'APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3- 191-7.

' Patented Dem-11,1917;

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' M. H. GABA.

PHONOGRAPH ILLUMINATING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. I917.

Patented Dec. 11, 191?.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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TE T I if MELVIN rt. GABA, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PHONOGBAPH ILLUMINATING APrLIANcE.

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' Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 3, 1917. Serial N 0. 152,196.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, MELVIN H. GABA, citizen of the United States, residlngat Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Phonograph Illuminating Appliances; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswillenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the lettersand figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention involves phonographs or talking machines and comprises an electr1- cal light appliance. The special type of machine to which it is applicable is the Edison phonograph, but with some modification my invention may be applied to any of the existing forms of talking machines. In more specific terms, the invention consists of an electrical circuit, a battery and a switch or automatic circuit making and breaking device which is operated from the setting shaft of the machine, and meandescent lamps located inthe top of the machine cabinet outside of thespace occupied by the record disks also in thelower part of the cabinet to afford lightfor selecting records and changing same. The ob ect of the invention is to provide means for illum1- nating the disks or records automatically at the time of starting the machine and simultaneously illuminating the record compartment. The illumination of the record disks when placed in position 1SfOI. the purpose of protecting the'records from 111- jury due to scratching of the dlamond point thereon when the latter is nnproperlymanipulated when being placed in astarting position. Not infrequently machmes are placed in illy lighted rooms or in a position remote from the light and it, is difficult to see the record disks clearly in selecting them and placing them in position; and at other times it may be desirable to operate the machine at dusk or twilight before the lights are turned on for the evening, or in the dark. In such cases, for convenience in selecting the records and locating the reproducer point in the proper starting position, the record disk becomes illuminated as well as the record compartment. This 1S done automatically and the li hts are shut off when the stylus or diamond point is set. Preceding a more detailed description of my invention, reference in general terms is first made to the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a talking machine, the cover being removed to show the record disk in position. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the upper portion of the machine with parts broken away. Figs. 3 and4 are detail views of the switch or automatic circuit making and breaking device. Fig 5 is a diagram of the circuits and lamps. Fig. 6 is a sectional View of a lower corner of the cabinet and the battery cells in end elevation. Fig. 7 is a side ele- Patented Dec. Til, 19ft.

vation of the batteries, the floor and side of the cabinet being in section.

In particularly describing my invention, similar reference characters will denote the same parts in the several views of the drawings. 1 and 1 designate comparatively small incandescent lamps, one of which is mounted in a socketpost 2 having a base 3, and the other of which is mounted in the record compartment. The parts 1, 2 and 3 constitute what'will be termed the upperlamp, which is secured to the supporting plate 4 The location of this lamp is shown in Fig. l to be at the rear right-=hand cornerof said supporting plate, just outside of the circumference of the record disk 5 and back of the reproducer 6. The lamp 1 is just high enough to illuminate the face of the record and is entirely out of theway. Lamp 1 is in a convenient place to illuminate the record compartment and is also out of the way. The batteries 7 are located in a con venient place as shown in Fig. 2 and are securely held upon the shelf 8 between a bracket 9, whichforms one terminal there of, and a spring 10 which forms the other terminal thereof. The spring 10 is engaged:

by the door 11 of the-cabinet when the said door is closed and thus the battery is held against any shifting or displacement in moving the machine from place to place. The said battery is also held in position by an angular bracket 12 which is secured to the. floor on one side of the battery and hooks over the top thereof. The circuits as shown in Fig. 5 are controlled by a switch or auto-.

matic circuit making and breaking device, consisting of a stationary contact member 13 which is secured on the floor 8 and is adjustable vertically and horizontally. The other member consists of an arm 14, which carries a contact plunger or point 1.5,. A spring 16 is seated in theuarm l4 behind the plunger and exerts a pressure outwardly thereon which maintains said plunger 15 in a position to contact with the -member13 ;make; the circuits through the conductor wires 17 and 18 and 17 and 18 leading from the opposite sides of the batteries to the lamps. 'The arm 14 carrying the contact member is" movable vertically by being rigidly connected to the perpendicular setting'j shafyt 18 of the Edisonphonograph; The shaft '18 as is well known carsee the phonograph horn 19 which is attached -to collar brackets 20, and the reproducer fiand'tone arm 22. The control lever 23, which is another element of the machine, is attached to theiipper end of the perpendicular shaft-'18. The head 24 of this lever has itsfulcrnm on a pin 25 and. engages a plate 26 secured to the plates. The perpenc'licularshaft 18 moves freely through anope'ning in the plate 4 when the control lever 23 is operated to'elevate and lower the reproducer 6. From Fig. 2 it will be seen inwhat manner the operation of light ing the record and disks and record compartment takes place. The movable contact point '15. is elevated to contact with the sta-l tionary contact point'l'l as shown in Fig. 2, the reproducerlhaving been elevated to put in position anewrecorddisk and to set said" reproducer to the starting position. The act offlowering the reprodncer 6 through the control-lever 23 makes contact between thepo'ints 13and 15 and. completes the circuit, therebyilluminating the record disk and record compartment and 'enabling'the reproducer'to be correctly set. When the reproducer is lowered to bring the diamond point in proper position, the contact is broken and the illumination of the disk ceases and the machine is set in operation byfa, movement of the starting lever 28. 29 and 30' are the stop devices which are e'fi'ective in stopping the machine at the com pletion of a rendition. The member 30 is fixed to the settin'g'shaft 18 which is moved by the reproducer to bring it in the path of Inem'ber29. These features are well known parts ot the'Edison phonograph and re quire no further description.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l qThe combination with the reproducerl Copies of this patent may be obtainedfor mate the record disks, and a switch controlled by thcreproducer mechanism whereby the record disks are illuminated to enable the reproducer arm to be correctly positioned at the starting.

2. In combination, the reproducer mechanism of a phonograph, an electrical circuit including the batteries thereof, a lamp in said circuit, and a switch controlling said circuit,'said switch being controlled by the movement of said reproducer mechanism to'make and break the circuit and thereby illuminate a record disk.

3. In an illuminating appliance for phonographs of the character specified, the combination with the reproducer mechanism, of a circuit including a source of electrical energy, a lamp in said circuit arranged to illuminate the record disks when the reproducer arm is being initially positioned, and a switch consisting of movable and immovable contact points actuated when the reproducer arm is being placed in the initial position whereby contact is made completing the circuit and the record disk is illuminated to enable the correct initial positioning of the reproducer arm, said circuit being broken to extinguish the light when the reproducer mechanism is being moved to the lower position and the movable contact point separated from the stationary contact point.

4. The combination with the reproducer mechanism of a phonograph, of electrical circuits including batteries, lamps in said circuits located in positions to illuminate the record disk compartment and the record disks when placed in starting position and removed, and circuit making and breaking devices actuated automatically by the reproducer mechanism to complete the circuits to illuminate said compartment and record disks and to break said circuits to extinguish the lights.

In testimony whereof I afi'ix my signature, in presence of a witness.

v MELVIN H. GABA.

' Witness:

MATTHEW SIEBLER.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

